You no longer have to guess wheether you've left the stove on or left the iron plugged in or left the back door open. With the Home Heartbeat from Eaton, various sensors attached to important items throughout your home will alert your cellphone to its status.

Water Sensor - Detects flooding

Open/Closed Sensor - Shows doors, windows, cabinets and drawers

Power Sensor - Any device in an electric outlet

Reminder Sensor - Filter changes, lawn watering, any scheduled event

Other non sensor items that can be attached are range extenders for large homes, attention sensors that send instant messages, and a home key for sensor notification just like on a cell phone.

A base station and one sensor starts at $175, and can be configured to send alerts through your PC or Eaton's processing center.

Complete home automation may be a long way off, but being able to tell whether something's gone wrong with your home is quite useful.